Course detail
Practical English 4
FEKT-BPC-PA4Acad. year: 2025/2026
The course Practical English 4 focuses on the development of reading, listening, speaking and writing skills with particular emphasis on complex grammar and vocabulary at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is based on learning materials and requirements of the international Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) exam. The course continues the course Practical English 3 (BPC-PA3).
Language of instruction
Number of ECTS credits
Mode of study
Guarantor
Department
Entry knowledge
Language proficiency at the level B2+ according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and successful completion of the course Practical English 3 (BPC-PA 3) are required.
Rules for evaluation and completion of the course
Course assessment in points:
- Credit Test: Use of English (max. 40 points, cut-off score 24 pts; students are allowed only one resit).
- Exam: Listening (max. 30 pts, cut-off score 15 pts), Reading (max. 30 pts, cut-off score 15pts).
The content and forms of instruction and assessment are specified by a regulation issued by the course supervisor and updated for every academic year.
Aims
A course graduate can:
- understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning;
- express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions;
- use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes;
- can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Speaking
A course graduate:
- can give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on complex subjects, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.
Writing
A course graduate:
- can write clear, well-structured texts of complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient issues;
- can expand and support points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples, and round off with an appropriate conclusion.
Listening
A course graduate:
- can understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics beyond his/her own field, though he/she may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar;
- can recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts;
- can follow extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly.
Reading
A course graduate:
- can understand in detail lengthy, complex texts, whether or not they relate to his/her own area of speciality, provided he/she can reread difficult sections.
Study aids
Prerequisites and corequisites
Basic literature
ELLEDEROVÁ, Eva. Grammar and Word Formation for CAE – Survey and Practice. Brno: VUT FEKT, 2015.
ELLEDEROVÁ, Eva. Practical English HPA 4 - Grammar, Vocabulary and Phrases. Brno: VUT FEKT, 2019.
O'DELL, Felicity a Annie BROADHEAD. Objective advanced. Student’s Book with Answers. Third Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-521-18182-2.
Recommended reading
Longman phrasal verbs dictionary. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2000. ISBN 0582291828.
O'DELL, Felicity a Michael MCCARTHY. English collocations in use: advanced : how words work together for fluent and natural English : self-study and classroom use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 9780521707800.
POWELL, Debra. Common mistakes at CAE: --and how to avoid them. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Cambridge books for Cambridge exams. ISBN 0521603773.
Classification of course in study plans
- Programme BPC-APE Bachelor's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory
Type of course unit
Language exercise
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
1) Passive voice, expression “have sth done”; word formation; English for academic purposes: essay
2) Verbs + to-infinitive/0-infinitive and gerund; expressing opinions
3) Hypothesising; idioms: the body
4) Reading: gap filling; listening: multiple choice
5) Articles; English for academic purposes: review
6) Use of English: multiple-choice cloze, open cloze and key word transformation
7) Collocations; Emphasis; English for academic purposes: presentation and discussion
8) Reading: multiple choice, cross-text multiple matching and multiple matching
9) Language of persuasion; homonyms; English for academic purposes: proposals
10) Inversion; word formation; idioms: travel; English for academic purposes: scientific report, abstract, annotation and summary
11) Listening: multiple choice; sentence completion; multiple matching
12) Interpreting and comparison; collocations: environment
13) Phrasal verbs; recapitulation: linking devices and types of clauses
Topics for conversation:
1) Family life
2) Literature, films, theatre and music
3) Food, cooking and eating
4) Interesting places
5) Climate change and environment
In-class debates (propositions):
1) Eutanasia should be legalised
2) Capital punishment should be legalised
3) Online education should replace traditional education
4) Human labour should be replaced with AI
5) Nuclear sources are better than renewable sources
6) The Dark Net should be regulated like the rest of the Internet